Photo: aime lee/Flickr
Whether you’re a connoisseur or a Friday night sampler, there’s a whole lot to love about wine. Luckily, if you’re local, you live in a city (or near one) that has plenty of options and an ever-evolving palate.
Just ask Alicia Towns Franken, a Boston-based sommelier and wine consultant. Previously, Alicia worked as the wine director for Grill 23 & Bar, where she was voted a Boston Magazine’s Best Sommelier, named a rising star by Les Dames d’Escoffier and earned the Best of Award from the Wine Spectator. Today, Alicia is an accredited Wine Location Specialist (WLS) and an Ambassador for the Center for Wine Origins, an organization founded in 2005 by the wine growing regions of Champagne, France and Porto, Portugal to educate consumers, policy makers and the media about the importance of keeping wine labels accurate. In addition, Alicia conducts private tastings and seminars.
SO, suffice it to say, with a track record like that, Alicia is the woman to go to with your wine questions. PRK got the scoop on Boston’s current wine scene and what Alicia’s drinking in this chilly weather.
PRK: Talk to me about Boston’s growing wine scene. Have patrons’ tastes changed since you started over ten years ago?
ATF: The wine scene has changed considerably since I began. More people are drinking wine and many more are willing to go beyond their comfort zone and are truly interested in what is happening within the industry. It has been fantastic watching more obscure varietals getting more attention. People are truly interested in learning more about wine and are open to regions and varietals that they might not have heard of before the moment it hits their palates. There are many wines shops and wine list that are much more focused than in the past.
PRK: What are the biggest shifts happening in the world of Viniculture?
ATF: Climate change has caused the biggest shift in Viniculture. Some regions are considerably warmer than they have been historically, changing the ripeness of the fruit, the style of the wines and even the type of grapes that are best grown in certain regions.
PRK: Have chefs gotten involved with the wine menu? Has this changed the wines selected at their restaurants?
ATF: Many Chefs have and continue to be interested in wine. The marriage of food and wine is so incredibly important. Sommeliers and Chefs must work together to produce a cohesive concept.
PRK: Which restaurants in Boston do you feel have the best wine selections?
ATF: Restaurants with some of my favorite wine lists include: Sportello, which has a small list, but everything is perfectly paired with the food, Grill 23 for the depth, No. 9 Park, Craigie Street Bistro, Troquet, and Oleana.
PRK: What are you drinking right now?
ATF: We drink seasonally. Winter: Champagne and Northern Rhone. Spring: Champagne and Riesling. Summer: Champagne, lots of Rose and Italian White. Fall: Champagne, Burgundy and Nebbiolo.
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Outdoor frig (photo: Sue McCrory)
What are YOUR top winter wines? Comment here or tweet us @pubradiokitchen.